Green Energy Responsible For 50% Of Wales’ Power Consumption

Wales is certainly doing its bit for the environment, with almost half of its power supply made up of renewable energy.

The government’s Energy Generation in Wales report showed 48 per cent of electricity in the country came from green power, which is an increase of five percentage points from the previous year.

Despite this being below the Welsh Government’s target of 70 per cent by 2030, it is still a positive move in the right direction.

Lesley Griffiths, cabinet secretary for energy, planning and rural affairs, was quoted by Business Green as saying: “We are seeing the huge steps made by the sector.”

She added: “We are committed to accelerating the transition of our energy system in Wales, particularly through the increased use of renewable energy.”

The government’s aim is to boost energy efficiency so less power is needed; reduce the use of energy from fossil fuels; and create a low carbon economy.

There are 46 anaerobic digestion (AD) projects in the country, generating 109 GWh of electricity and 52 GWh of heat and with a capacity of 19MW of electricity and 8MW of heat, while biomass, hydropower, wind and solar energy are also helping Wales go green.

Wales will need plenty of tank breather valves to assist its AD processes, particularly as two new projects were assigned in 2017, offering 2MW of capacity.

Earlier this year, the government issued a requirement that at least half of AD feedstock had to be from waste or residues to receive Renewable Health Incentive support, limiting the use of energy crops in the production.